Reliability

[The Last Cowboy]

You have to look at the reliability issue from a different angle. Wranglers are probably abused more than any other brand new vehicle. That combined with a younger than average owner base will lead to things breaking due to abuse, negligence, ignorance or a combination of any of those.

Buyers who have just bought their first new vehicle will want every little thing taken care of under warranty, which is their right. Buyers who can barely afford their payment may sacrifice maintenance, which also leads to break downs.

Now, Jeep has had some issues from time to time in the past. Hell, it’s had like 9 different corporate owners, the first being Willys-Overland and the current Stelantis. My Renault/AMC 1988 Sahara was not the best quality. My 2013 DaimlerChrysler designed JK was an excellent vehicle. We has 2 other JKs in the family at that time and none if them ever had any issues. I don’t have enough time and miles with this one to say one way or the other but it’s looking good.

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[aldo98229]

Now, Jeep has had some issues from time to time in the past. Hell, it’s had like 9 different corporate owners, the first being Willys-Overland and the current Stelantis. My Renault/AMC 1988 Sahara was not the best quality. My 2013 DaimlerChrysler designed JK was an excellent vehicle. We has 2 other JKs in the family at that time and none if them ever had any issues. I don’t have enough time and miles with this one to say one way or the other but it’s looking good.

Good point. The best quality of any Chrysler vehicles I can remember were those built during the DCX era. My 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible, 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee, 2006 and 2007 Chrysler 300 SRT8 were totally trouble-free. Even my 2012 Dodge Challenger, which at that point was still mostly DCX parts, was excellent.

But quality started to show a decline by 2012. While my 2009, 2014 and 2015 JKs were solid; my 2012 Chrysler 300S went into the dealership 12 times in the first 6 weeks; it ended being bought back by FCA. My 2013 JK Rubicon had a litany of electrical and mechanical problems throughout its 3-year warranty period. My $53,000 2016 Dodge Challenger Scat Pack squeaked, rattled and buzzed like a cheap 30-year old POS, and so did my $52,000 2018 JKUR Recon.

Judging by the number of electrical issues people have been reporting on their 2020 and 2021 JLs and JTs, there appears to be a batch built following the COVID shutdowns to be particularly troublesome.

 

[01tj]

Every single new car will have something covered under warranty - this has been my experience on the 4 new vehicle I've owned.

I always try to pick out anything and everything I can and take it in before the warranty expires. I got the dealership to replace the top on my TJ because of a zipper. We had a VW Jetta TDi that had no issues what-so-ever for 60k miles and my Frontier was the same.

A decent percentage of posters on the internet forums come there because they have had issues. Most vehicles are probably more reliable than the internet would have you believe.

 

[Archeonomy]

I share your concerns. I researched the heck out of this and after looking for a few years ultimately felt that the initial issues with the JL (frame welding, steering . . .) would be mostly corrected for 2021, and that buying a new one under warranty made more sense than buying a used JK with 20K+ miles on it with minimal or no warranty protection for not much less $.

 

[timn1984]

Okay, ever since I was a little kid there are 2 vehicles that I have always dreamed of owning, the Ford Mustang and the Jeep Wrangler. I am currently searching for a new vehicle and the Mustang is out since I've been told that it is not good in the snow at all and the Wrangler is a vehicle that I am strongly considering. I am looking at all cars and suv's out there from all makes my main criteria is AWD or 4X4 and preferably manual transmission but I am waffling on that. My question is this, I am seeing so much on line about the unreliability of the Wrangler, everything talks about its low reliability yet as I am out and about and I see a Wrangler owner in parking lots I walk up and talk to them about everything Wrangler, especially the reliability factor and none of them have any complaints and say that it has been reliable. So it has me curious, should I go for a vehicle that I've dreamed of having since childhood and take my chances or not. I am 58 and have always driven vehicles until they were 13-14 years old and I plan on doing so on my next vehicle. I am just worried about the reliability issue.

I've had relatively few problems with my Jeep. I believe reliability is relative to the person driving the vehicle. Ex: I got my steering box replaced, but did not think that my previous steering was all that bad. I mean I was used to it and did not see it as a problem. But I decided to get the new steering box because its under warranty and getting anything NEW on my Jeep would extend the life of it. but with that said, others apparently were having major problems with steering. also my wife has a Toyota Camry 2015. Very reliable car, but reliability to me with that car is just not there. Its very hard to get in and out of because it sits low to the ground. And I think it sounds like a cardboard box driving down the hiway. But is that a problem? Well I think it is, but can it be fixed? Probably not. Its not an engine failure or mechanical issue, but still its a problem. You get my drift.
Enjoy your DREAM, get the Jeep.

 

[aldo98229]

I've had relatively few problems with my Jeep. I believe reliability is relative to the person driving the vehicle. Ex: I got my steering box replaced, but did not think that my previous steering was all that bad. I mean I was used to it and did not see it as a problem. But I decided to get the new steering box because its under warranty and getting anything NEW on my Jeep would extend the life of it. but with that said, others apparently were having major problems with steering. also my wife has a Toyota Camry 2015. Very reliable car, but reliability to me with that car is just not there. Its very hard to get in and out of because it sits low to the ground. And I think it sounds like a cardboard box driving down the hiway. But is that a problem? Well I think it is, but can it be fixed? Probably not. Its not an engine failure or mechanical issue, but still its a problem. You get my drift.
Enjoy your DREAM, get the Jeep.

I used to think that way myself: that all vehicles are decently reliable, especially if you take good care of them.

It took buying one or two really bad ones, and having some really bad dealer experiences, to learn that terribly-made vehicles and terribly-run dealers do exist.

Thing is, the more stuff they put on a vehicle, the greater the chances something will break. And FCA just loves to put a lot of “stuff” on vehicles to make more money.

 

[DadJokes]

Pertaining to reliability of many vehicles... a new API SP oil standard is out.

https://www.api.org/products-and-se...ies-and-classifications/latest-oil-categories

 

[timn1984]

I used to think that way myself: that all vehicles are decently reliable, especially if you take good care of them.

It took buying one or two really bad ones, and having some really bad dealer experiences, to learn that terribly-made vehicles and terribly-run dealers do exist.

Thing is, the more stuff they put on a vehicle, the greater the chances something will break. And FCA just loves to put a lot of “stuff” on vehicles to make more money.

Yea, dealer experiences are a dime a dozen, some are good some are bad. Mine just happens to be a great dealership, or maybe I just have not had any problems with them,.... yet. I don't buy NEW cars very often, so My dealership now may not be the same in say 10 yrs. I have not really bought a really bad car yet, so I have not had that experience. Sorry about yours.
True the more stuff they put on vehicles the more that can go wrong. Just hope the research and development are solid. Not sure with FCA.

 

[aldo98229]

True the more stuff they put on vehicles the more that can go wrong. Just hope the research and development are solid. Not sure with FCA.

WE are FCA’s research and development...

 

[PavementWarrior]

once you replace all the parts from FCA wranglers are fine. basically you bought a frame and a hood, the rest has to go

 

[Fusilli Jerry]

Reliability ratings can be tricky for both the 'Stang and the Wrangler. They're purpose-built vehicles that many times end up heavily-modded, which affects reliability greatly.

Not to mention, both vehicles get WHALED on by owners. Mustangs get brutalized on streets, Jeeps get pummeled off-road.

Innate problems for Fords are the 10-speeds, which are starting to show big problems. And they had Ecoboost problems (which seem to have been resolved).
FCA has lousy master cylinders and electrical problems, and a poor track record of dumping Fiat parts into Jeep/Ram products. Their first Ecodiesel was a debacle.

I'd say buy the Jeep. Fewer speeding tickets, you can drive it in winter, and you can take the top off.

Buy the Mustang when you retire. Trade it in when you turn 80 and buy a Corvette.

 

[Melny67]

Get what your heart wants dont listen to anyone but yourself.

 

[scottijohn63]

Get what your heart wants dont listen to anyone but yourself.

Yup! Go with your gut,

 

[Fatboy97]

Okay, ever since I was a little kid there are 2 vehicles that I have always dreamed of owning, the Ford Mustang and the Jeep Wrangler. I am currently searching for a new vehicle and the Mustang is out since I've been told that it is not good in the snow at all and the Wrangler is a vehicle that I am strongly considering. I am looking at all cars and suv's out there from all makes my main criteria is AWD or 4X4 and preferably manual transmission but I am waffling on that. My question is this, I am seeing so much on line about the unreliability of the Wrangler, everything talks about its low reliability yet as I am out and about and I see a Wrangler owner in parking lots I walk up and talk to them about everything Wrangler, especially the reliability factor and none of them have any complaints and say that it has been reliable. So it has me curious, should I go for a vehicle that I've dreamed of having since childhood and take my chances or not. I am 58 and have always driven vehicles until they were 13-14 years old and I plan on doing so on my next vehicle. I am just worried about the reliability issue.

Like you I have always wanted to own a wrangler. I always said that if I lived near the beach or in the mountains what a perfect vehicle it would be especially if I didn’t have to commute any significant distance to work in it. Well I am now retired and purchased my new custom ordered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. This thing is better than any previous model wrangler ever built and I have driven them all, as I said I have always wanted one but every time I drove one it just didn’t feel right. The JL is very comfortable and rides really well but it is no SUV it is still a Jeep. Every time I drive it I have a smile on my face. The fun factor itself can not be replicated by any other vehicle. All vehicles are nothing more than mechanical devices that can break at anytime. I use to live on cape cod in Ma. So I have lots of experience driving in the winter and snow in NH, VT, and ME. The wrangler is great for that environment. My only concern is with the road salt. Probably just a little more attention in the springtime as to cleaning the underside and re-painting would be all that is needed to fight the rust. I have had no problems with my JL. Definitely consider the auto transmission, they are so good now especially in the JL.

 

[entropy]

The real question here is what experience do you really want. You are talking about a long term purchase. Mustang and Wrangler are two completely different animals so it is a bit puzzling why you are deciding between the 2. They both give completely different experiences on the road.

Are you looking for topless slow rides in town? maybe offroading/camping exploring outdoors? heavily modding your Jeep?

You are comparing a brick on wheels vs a sports car. Very different, and long term you might get bored if you dont pick the one for your lifestyle.

I find most people who use their jeeps tend to keep them long. Mall crawlers get sold, once it is modded they get bored.

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